KATHMANDU: The Employment Permit System (EPS) has boosted the process of hiring Nepali workers in September after the South Korean manufacturing sector recovered from the global economic crisis. South Korea had closed recruitment for its manufacturing sector from June 10 to July 30 this year.

According to EPS Nepal office, current rate of hiring is similar to last December. Human Resource Department of South Korea has issued visas for 135 workers — 124 men and 11 women — till Friday and majority of them has been rec-ruited in manufacturing firms.

Twenty-nine Nepalis, including two women blue-collar migrant workers reached South Korea on September 7. Two new batches of Nepalis workers are preparing to land in Seoul on September 14 and September 21. EPS Nepal is sending 37 Nepalis to South Korea on September 14 to work in 18 different companies and agriculture and fishery firms. The group includes three women. Another group of 69 migrant workers, including six women, will leave Nepal for South Korea on September 21. This is the biggest group after March 2009.

South Korea has been hiring Nepali workers in three major sectors — fisheries, agriculture and manufacturing. It is a lucrative destination for Nepali migrant workers. EPS workers earn $970 to $1,000 per month depending on their work. The income that they get in South Korea is five times more than in other major destinations like Malaysia and Gulf.

Around 7,500 Nepalis are working in South Korea and of them 3,000 went through EPS. Nepalis working in South Korea remit home Rs 2 billion per year.